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Talk-27: Developing an Open-Source Fixed-Wing sUAS for MOOS-IvP
Alyssa Hargis [1], Leslie Maldonado [2], Michael Benjamin [1]
[1] MIT Dept of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Marine Autonomy Lab
[2] Draper Laboratory
Existing fixed-wing small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are often prohibitively expensive, procurement-restricted, or closed to community contributions due to their commercial nature. We present the ongoing work on a fixed-wing sUAS built on the Skywalker X8, intended as an accessible testbed for MOOS-IvP-based autonomy research and designed from the outset for open, community-driven replication and further development. The core build integrates ArduPilot with a Raspberry Pi companion computer running MOOS-IvP, custom aluminum and 3d printed mounting hardware for avionics and payload integration, RFD900X telemetry, and a Doodle Labs mesh radio for autonomous operation, with an open hardware build and bill of materials that will be published. The total platform cost is roughly $3,000, an order of magnitude below comparable commercial systems. Current simulation work is evaluating the use of waypoint directed controls as opposed to full trajectory controls while field tests are validating the physical aspects of the aircraft build. The design anticipates future compatibility with surface vehicles already common in the MOOS-IvP community, positioning the platform for coordinated air-sea missions as the software and hardware mature.
Categories:
- UAV
- sUAS